THE FOLLOWING IS A SURVIVOR RESOURCE CENTER RELEASE
The Survivor Resource Center (SRC) and local leaders have designated November as NO MORE month in Danville, and Vermilion, Clark and Edgar Counties. It is a month to generate awareness and year-round action to prevent sexual assault.
This month provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the area’s commitment to ending sexual violence and supporting the numerous survivors among us. It is an opportunity to educate the public and point people to ways they can help.
The Survivor Resource Center serves child, adolescent and adult victims of sexual assault and their loved ones by providing counseling, legal and medical advocacy, and awareness and prevention programs for community members and professionals. All services are 100% free, confidential, and available around the clock every day of the year.
SRC is a non-profit agency – supported through grants and community donations – committed to ending sexual violence in our community. SRC serves local communities,
regularly meeting with community providers, organizations and members to work on efforts from education, marketing, community awareness events and community mobilization efforts.
“People may be surprised to learn over 80% of survivors served are under the age of 18,” says Tara Wright, Director of Prevention Education, Director of Outreach Awareness and Sexual Assault Therapist at the Survivor Resource Center. “Sexual violence is also hugely underreported for males and underreported in general.”
NO MORE Campaign
The month-long NO MORE Campaign will include a series of public service announcements, ads, media stories, proclamations and promotions featuring local and national leaders with messages and myths surrounding sexual assault.
NO MORE month is co-sponsored by the Vermilion County Violence Prevention Task Force. The task force includes Vermilion County Public Health, Danville Police Department, Vermilion County CAC, City of Danville, OSF Healthcare and many others. The group works on efforts for community mobilization in discussions, education, marketing, awareness and bringing in speakers.
The SRC staff suggests several ways to help survivors of sexual assault:
Encourage your loved ones to express themselves. Survivors of sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression.
Help explore contemplative practices. A contemplative practice quiets the mind to cultivate a personal capacity for deep concentration and insight.
Visit the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) website. You can search for your local rape crisis center and learn more about sexual assault through this site.
Engage the survivor in discussions about the media. Help to dismantle messages that reinforce sexual objectification.
Talk about healthy relationships. Surviving sexual assault is one of the most significant predictors for your loved one to eventually experience some form of relationship violence.
Advocate for them by listening, always being supportive and not blaming them for anything. The offender is the only one to blame for what they did to the person.
Details About the Survivor Resource Center’s Services
Counseling: SRC provides free, confidential and specialized individual, family and group counseling for survivors of sexual violence and their significant others. Counseling is available at their office locations in Danville, Georgetown and Paris, IL and other convenient community locations and school settings. Asubstantial amount of counseling work occurs in area elementary, junior high and high schools.
Medical Advocacy: SRC is there from the beginning. Their trained medical advocates will meet the survivor of sexual violence/assault at the hospital emergency department. Staff members provide emotional support and answers to questions the survivor and the survivor’s loved ones may have about the medical exam and evidence collection process. They also offer practical help. They will wait at the hospital, call family and friends, provide a change of clothing, arrange for shelter or help with
transportation needs.
Legal Advocacy: SRC’s trained legal advocates help survivors of sexual violence navigate the criminal justice system. The team provides support to help the survivor understand sexual assault reporting, investigation and processes, along with the survivor’s rights and choices. The team can also assist the Survivor with Civil No Contact Orders, Orders of Protection and Stalking No Contact Orders.
Prevention Training and Education: SRC’s specialized staff provides expert training and education for schools, community groups, churches, organizations and businesses and all community members. You can count on our professional team to bring balance, and group/age-appropriate expertise to every setting, for many topics of risk and safety, for sexual violence prevention. They can start with the beginning topics in conversation to continued growth in ongoing extensive education opportunities.
Many requested topic areas include Body Safety, Sexual Harassment, Sexual assault Prevention Techniques, Trauma Informed Care, Intervention Strategies, Internet Safety, Consent, Alcohol and Drug Facilitated Sexual assault, Healthy Relationships, Bullying and Conflict Resolution.
Case Management: The Case Management Team helps with any needs a survivor may have outside regular counseling and advocacy assistance. They assess needs and help with form completion, food needs, changing locks, getting started with education and much more. Case Managers work with survivors to help develop plans, provide support and resources, and overcome barriers to help achieve goals they have for themselves and their families.
For more information about the Survivor Resource Center and its services, call 217-446-1337 (available 24 hours a day); or visit www.survivorresourcecenter.org. You can also walk into their office locations in Danville at 27 N. Vermilion Street or Paris at 108 S Central Ave. They can also be reached via Facebook @Survivor Resource Center.
Fast Facts Did you know . . .
Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
Ages 12-34 are the highest risk years for rape and sexual assault.
More than 1 in 3 women and nearly 1 in 4 men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact at some point in their lives.
Approximately 1 in 5 women in the U.S. reported completed or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime.
21% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students have been sexually assaulted, compared to 18% of non-TGQN females and 4% of non-TGQN males.
Common Myths
Myth: “Sexual violence is only committed by strangers.” Fact: Data estimates that 80% of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. Perpetrators often prey on people they know and use the relationship to pressure their victims into silence.
Myth: “Sexual violence is only committed against women by men. Men cannot be victims of sexual violence.” Fact: While it is true that most sexual violence is committed by men against women, anyone can be a perpetrator, and anyone can be a victim. In the U.S., one in three women and one in six men have
experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
Myth: “Wearing revealing clothing, being intoxicated, or acting provocatively will lead to sexual assault.” Fact: The only cause of sexual assault is one person choosing to violate another. The victim’s appearance or behavior before the attack does not affect their right to say no.
Myth: “Perpetrators of sexual assault are mentally ill, perverts, abnormal, violent criminals, etc.” Fact: Anyone can be a perpetrator of sexual assault. Most rapes are committed by someone the victim already knew. Rapists can be boyfriends or girlfriends, spouses, coworkers, relatives, classmates, trusted professionals, or anyone else. There is no one profile for who a rapist is.
Myth: “Most rape accusations are false reports.” Fact: Most sexual assaults (63%) are never reported to the police. Of the assaults that are reported, research estimates that only a small percentage are false reports, similar to the rates of other violent crimes.
Myth: “Survivors of sexual violence will appear battered, hysterical, or obviously violated. If a victim did not fight back, they must have wanted it.” Fact: People react to crises and deal with trauma in different ways. Survivors of sexual assault may present with bruises or injuries but may also experience fear, guilt, trouble concentrating, depression,
anxiety, panic attacks, flashbacks, and a slew of other responses. Victims may not fight back during an assault for many reasons. Sometimes, the victim experiences a “freeze” response where they cannot move or speak. In other cases, the perpetrator uses threats or other tactics of force/manipulation instead of physical violence. There is no one right way to respond to being assaulted.
Myth: “If the victim becomes sexually aroused during the assault, they must have wanted it.” Fact: Sexual arousal (including orgasm) is a natural, biological response that we cannot control. Arousal does not mean consent. This myth is often used to shame or silence victims of assault or to diminish the validity of their experience.
Myth: “People with disabilities and people in LGBTQ+ relationships are unlikely to be victims of sexual violence.” Fact: Again, anyone can be a perpetrator, and anyone can be a victim, from any race, religion, ethnicity, disability or ability status, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or background. In particular, people with disabilities are twice as likely to be victims of sexual assault, and LGBTQ+ individuals experience relationship violence at equal or higher rates than heterosexual individuals.
Myth: “Behaviors like catcalling, inappropriately explicit questions, unwanted touching (massages, hugs), and rape jokes are harmless.” Fact: These behaviors all exist on the spectrum of sexual violence. When we are passive in responding to these behaviors, we enable sexual violence and set the stage for more physically violent acts. Dismissing
these behaviors only helps to normalize and excuse sexual violence.
Possible Signs of Sexual Abuse
Waking up during the night sweating, screaming or shaking with nightmares. Masturbating excessively. Showing unusually aggressive behavior toward family members, friends, toys, and pets. Complaining of pain while urinating or having a bowel movement, or exhibiting symptoms of genital infections such as offensive odors.
